Stroudsburg School Board president drops bid for re-election

School Board President Rodney Baechtold Jr. is dropping his bid for another term on the Stroudsburg Area School Board.

CHRISTINA TATU

School Board President Rodney Baechtold Jr. is dropping his bid for another term on the Stroudsburg Area School Board.

"It's just a personal choice. I've enjoyed the board and working with people in the school district, it's just time for me to move on and maybe involve my talents in other areas," the Stroud Township resident said.

Baechtold is serving his fourth year on the board.

He was appointed as board president last year.

In addition to serving as president, he also represents Stroudsburg School District on the Joint Operating Committee of Monroe Career and Technical Institute.

When his term is finished on the Stroudsburg School Board, he will also give up his seat on MCTI's Joint Operating Committee.

Baechtold made the decision not to run again in March, the deadline for when candidates must notify the County Board of Elections about whether they intend to withdraw from the ballot.

The school board is preparing its 2014-15 budget and negotiating a new contract with its teachers union.

"I will lead the board through this budget and continue to negotiate until the end of my term," he said.

The decision to resign from the race has nothing to do with any school board issues, he said.

"This is a personal decision on how I'm going to devote my personal time to some kind of community work," Baechtold said, adding he reached the decision after a "personal evaluation of my schedule, personal life and work commitments."

There are four seats available on the Stroudsburg School Board with incumbents Laurie Woods and Richard Pierce hoping for a seat.